Here’s the deal: Starting next month, Google is changing the way match types work in AdWords. From mid May onwards, misspellings, plurals and variations of your Exact Match and Phrase Match keywords on Google AdWords will trigger your ads. In the past, if you wanted your ad to appear for variations, abbreviations or misspellings, you would use Broad Match targeting. If you wanted your ad to appear for plurals or word stemming, you would use “Phrase Match” targeting. If you wanted your ad to appear only when searchers typed in a specific phrase/keyword, you used [Exact Match]. Now, by default, using Exact Match or Phrase Match targeting will ALSO trigger your ads for each of the described variations.

Despite Google calling this change *an improvement*, for all intents and purposes, this means Exact Match is dead. Yes, advertisers can opt-out of this so-called feature, but it is switched on by default, which means that new advertisers selecting Exact Match as a match type will wrongly assume their ads will only be triggered by exact matches of their keywords. It’s a pretty logical assumption! I don’t know about you, but I think that Exact Match should remain, you know, an EXACT MATCH. At the very least, they should change the match type to IN-exact Match so it is less misleading.

According to Search Engine Land, Google has already been testing the new functionality with advertisers and claims the change has resulted in a 3 percent rise in clicks, at comparable CPCs. In the same sentence, Google states that individual results will vary. No kidding. Variations can account for a LOT of searches and for advertisers on a tight budget, this could spell disaster. Here’s an example: if you are an artist selling color prints of your artwork and targeting [color prints] as an exact or phrase match, would you want your ad to be triggered if someone types in *color printers*? No. But it seems this is a distinct possibility under the new rules.

With this move, it feels like Google is taking away some of the minimal control advertisers have over how/when their ads appear in their increasingly annoying quest to make more money for shareholders. I say hands off our Exact Match Google!

What do you think? Do you feel like the changes are reducing the control you have over your campaigns?

By Kalena Jordan

Why you should use remarketing
Remarketing allows you to target potential customers who’ve previously visited particular pages on your website, giving you a powerful new way to match the right people with the right message.

For example, imagine you’re a travel company, and you’re advertising about deals to Portugal. Users come to your website, browse the offers but do not book a holiday. You then later decide to offer discounted deals to Portugal, how do you reach these users who have already expressed interest in travelling there? You use remarketing. Setup an ad campaign that will only be displayed to the visitors of your website who have looked at Portugal as a destination. Your ad has the potential to appear on millions of websites.

The positives
Remarketing can be viewed as a good mix of display advertising that can often have low Click-Through-Rates (CTR) and search advertising that requires the user to be actively looking for your product/service again. The clients that we use remarketing with find they provide a much higher conversion rate than display advertising as well as giving them maximum exposure across the internet to their target market.

What this means in real terms is that you get multiple chances after you have paid for a click on search advertising, to bring that person back to your website and make a sale.

Other examples to use remarketing
I have used the travel company example above but there are many more opportunities for using remarketing and here are a few of my ideas:

• Target all visitors to your homepage when you have a sale on
• Target visitors to a service page and then promote that service afterwards
• For ecommerce websites
  • Target visitors to a product page and then promote that product afterwards
  • Target people who have bought from your online shop to get feedback
  • Target visitors who have purchased a product to sell related items

Other considerations
Of course, it is advisable to monitor, track and report on your activity to achieve maximum return-on-investment (ROI). You can use this information to find out how often you should show your ads to people (it can be limited so you don’t attack one visitor too much!), what type of remarketing ads are working, i.e. upselling, customer feedback, sales and finally to measure the effectiveness of the campaign against other marketing activity.

If this has raised any questions or you would like more information then don’t hesitate to get in touch at john@fifteendigital.co.uk or call 01325 350857

At the moment you can update your profile to use Facebook’s new timeline but on 30^th March 2012 it will be updated automatically, whether you want to use it or not.

So let’s look at some of the changes and new features that your business page is going to have to deal with:

Cover & Profile Art
At the top of the page you can upload a new cover photo to showcase your business. It is 851 x 315 pixels in size and can simply be a particularly nice version of your logo or I recommend you get a graphic designer to create something special that will stand out and showcase your business. The profile photo has also changed slightly and now is square shaped only with a size of 180 x x180 pixels, your company logo should be used here.

About Section
This is in a much more prominent position on your Facebook page now so ensure that you have completed all the fields fully but be concise, keep it short and to the point.

Control Posts
Extra features now allow you to highlight posts that gives them more of a prominent position on your timeline as well as the ability to amend the post dates to keep relevant posts at the top of the page.

Milestones
Create company milestones that are then displayed in your timeline, events, new store openings, product launches and so on are all good milestone additions.

Admin Panel
Updated admin panel features allow other Facebook users to private message your business, which is good for reputation management as you can deal with customer issues away from your public Facebook wall. Insights (Facebook’s analytics tool) has also been improved giving you access to more information about people who are talking about your business and sharing your posts.

Be Ready!
All business pages will be updated to the new timeline layout on 30^th March but you can log in at any time before that and see a preview of what your page looks like. Be ready for the change.

Name : Stephen Cook

Job Title : Developer

And the best part? Almost no-one is using this to its full potential.

What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a business directory that specializes in finding businesses, talent, and opportunities. It is therefore a place to discover businesses and for others to discover you. A place to discover talent; for recruiting, outsourcing, partnering with, or consulting. In short, people who can help your business.

It is a place where you can see credentials, build a relationship first then trust. It is a place where you should be able to generate 4 – 5 leads per day for your business. 75% of your business should come from LinkedIn.

In short – you are the talent that others are looking for.

But are they finding you?

LinkedIn has a record number of searches per day for SEO, Reputation Management, Mobile Marketing, List Management, Web Development, PPC, Lead Generation, YouTube management, and many others.

Why is LinkedIn so Popular for Business?
The main reason is that it is a search engine where you can search for people rather than information. You can see their credentials, and get to know them first before you commit to anything.

You also get geographically targeted search results so you can search for local people.

LinkedIn is perfect for you if you have the skills that are searched for, or if you want to outsource to people with those skills.

Benefits of Using LinkedIn

• You can only have one profile.
• You can generate leads all over the country and even the world even if you have a free account.
• You can use apps on your profile which help you to showcase yourself and your business.

How to Use LinkedIn:
You need to have a well written and well-presented profile that is SEO optimized with keywords. It is best to have a salesletter or similar copywriting for best results. Only talk about what you do for your clients and how you do it. Your past is irrelevant, unless it shows your experience in your current position. Use apps to help you. Slideshare is a good one to use as you can upload powerpoint presentations or YouTube videos to slideshare which will then show on your profile.

Always keep Search Engine Optimization in mind as people need to find you. Also, make your email address visible on your profile.

A systematic approach to networking works best. So decide first what you’re going to offer, and make sure it will pre-close clients for you, and generate relationships with your prospects. It should help you find business, and generate value for your leads.

In our case study, a start-up business approached his target market and asked them if they knew a good accountant in their area. They had one of three responses: No, I don’t know an accountant; yes I know an accountant; or no response.

He mentioned his business only in his signature with a keyword rich sentence and a link. He contacted 100 prospects. Of those 100, 22 responded that yes, they did know an accountant and made a referral. 43 responded that they didn’t know an accountant, and 35 gave no response. He then wrote to the accountants, told them that they came highly recommended and asked if he could recommend them to others.

The results: one accountant offered him $500 to buy his list of people in his area who needed an accountant. And 21 people wrote back and asked about his SEO services. He made five sales resulting in $4300 income.

Now you don’t have to offer the same, but you need to offer something of value. This way you will build excellent relationships and trust with your prospects.

For more information on LinkedIn, visit Attraction Marketing, and search for the article: The keys to Success on LinkedIn.

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Online marketing firm Fifteen Digital has landed several new clients in the hospitality sector after launching a social media training and support service.

The Darlington and Stoke-based business has won contracts with several hotels across the country, including the Crown Plaza in Nottingham and the Holiday Inn in Bolton as well as the Moat House Hotel in Stoke, for its social media services.

The company runs in-house social media workshops with hotel staff and management and also offers additional services which support the social media activity operated by hoteliers.

In the six weeks since the firm began working with Moat House Hotel, it has received three wedding bookings, two Christmas party bookings and recruited an events co-ordinator all through its Facebook page.

The group, which has an additional office in the North-east, is now in talks to increase its offering to Moat House while rolling out its services further afield, having already enjoyed success in the North West and Yorkshire.

Business development manager Sarah Mountford said: “This has really helped me and Fifteen Digital as a whole re-establish what we do.

“People have been noticing what we can do and are really keen to get involved and use our online marketing abilities.

“We run regular workshops which have done really well and we are hoping to expand them into the North-east, where we can manage them from our Darlington office.”

Ross Luckett, assistant revenue manager at Moat House Hotel, said: “Initially Sarah was working on our Facebook page to give it a more professional edge and we decided we wanted a more commercial feel to it.

“We didn’t have the knowledge to do it ourselves but Sarah made it look so much better and has drummed up a significant amount of trade through it.”

Why use a QR code at all?
Many times consumers may want to know more about an advertisement, but they don’t have pen or paper while putting information on your phone can be time consuming and a hassle. So QR codes truly are the perfect solution. To put it mildly, QR codes are quickly becoming local internet marketing’s best assets. QR codes can definitely help your small business succeed. We will discuss how in a second, but first lets understand QR codes a little more.

How does a QR Code work?
Consumers have to simply download an application, sometimes called the barcode scanner application on their Smartphones. Now-a-days most smart phones have these applications already set up and ready to go. All you have to do is take a picture of the code on your Smartphone. At that point you are brought to the website the code is promoting. Simply put, companies use these codes to help advertise their products, so each QR code is connected with a company. In most cases, a company will link back to their website.
Five Unique Advantages QR Codes Provide a Company with a Limited Budget:

1. Pricing: It’s absolutely free! To help you understand, think of a QR code just as you would a URL for your website. The only difference is that your message will look like a barcode as opposed to a URL. All your customers have to do is take a picture of it.

2. The Impression: QR codes can leave a lasting impression on a customer because they transfer directly to the customer’s personal phone. With other forms of advertisement on a bus or in a newspaper, you are just hoping that someone will write down a website and then go type it into their phone or computer. With QR Codes, your customer reaches you directly without any additional effort. Even if you think this is inconvenient, think of the time your customer saves and let’s face it, in today’s advanced society, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

3. Company logo: QR codes a great way to make your company unique by giving it an individual logo. Consider putting your company logo into the actual QR code design.

4. Local search marketing: QR codes are a great way to integrate all of your marketing. QR codes can link to anything a company wants. For example, increase your number of Twitter followers by linking to your Twitter account. If you’re looking to promote something special, link to Facebook. The possibilities are endless.

5. Business Cards: Include a code on your business card that allows customers to save your company’s contact information directly to their phone. This makes your business card very personal and it’s a great way to integrate yourself into your customers recall.

The potential QR code user base is growing quickly. The percentage of Smartphone owners was estimated to be at 15 to 19% at the end of 2010 and was expected to double by the end of 2011. This base group of Smartphone users are a great group to integrate into your customer base. By using QR codes as a low budget marketing tool you can attract attention to your company.

QR codes are being utilized all over the globe. Companies are displaying them in their windows, advertisers are using them in their signs, marketers are incorporating them in their projects and restaurants are incorporating them in their menus. Soon every business will be incorporating QR codes as well as their logos. Although the technology is fairly new, QR codes are growing in popularity. After all who doesn’t want a broader customer base?
Ajay Prasad is founder of Global Marketing Resources, LLC, which runs a number of e-commerce websites under its umbrella. Ajay’s functional expertise includes website strategy, marketing management, business development, consumer research marketing analysis and strategic planning. Local Search HQ is a Local Search Engine Marketing company that aims to develop an overall Web Marketing and Local Search Marketing solution for small local businesses.

Name : Sarah Mountford

Job Title : Marketing and Business Development

Do you have a Nick Name : Bambi – a reference to my nights out in high heels and alcohol.

Where did you grow up : Nantwich

Give us a brief explanation of what you do : Speak to new clients and assist them with their online prescense and marketing strategies

Whats the most fun aspect of your job : Working with my colleagues at Team Fifteen

When you were a child what did you want to be : Barbie Air Hostess

What do you never leave home without : Make up Bag and Mobile Phone

What was the last thing you made : Shoe Bow

How do you spend most of your time outside of work : With my beautiful daughter Maddison

What is the worst haircut you’ve ever had : When I did a Britney

Favourite Book : “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris

Favourite Film : Twilight, Love Actually, Legally Blonde

Favourite Album : Take That

Favourite Food : Waggamammas and Skittles

Picture : Sarah receiving her award from Mark Adams – Director

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AN online marketing firm has celebrated its fifth birthday by planning an expansion.

Fifteen Digital’s turnover is rising due to the increase in the number of services offered to clients, including social media campaigns.

John Borthwick, director of the Darlington firm, which also has an office in Stoke, said: “Fifteen Digital’s technology division has just been accepted as a CCTV supplier for Bourne Leisure Group, which owns Butlins and Haven Holidays, and we will also be running social media workshops for Best Western hotels around the country.”

The company’s Darlington office deals mainly with the online marketing side of Fifteen Digital’s operations, including its IT and web development. This is now the focus of the company’s growth.

Middlesbrough man John said: “With the web design aspect of Fifteen Digital, our focus is going to be on the e-commerce website and integration with Sage accounting software, as we are now approved Sage developers.

“It was pretty risky funding our own expansion, but in the long-term this has actually proved a savvy move as it means we have been able to grow through the credit crunch.

“We currently employ 12 staff members with our thirteenth starting very shortly at Darlington. This shows that we have come a long way from what was just the three of us to now having bigger offices in two parts of the country.”